Tree Root Removal From Sewer Lines in Philadelphia

Tree root removal from a sewer line means cutting out the roots that have grown inside the pipe, flushing out the pieces, and restoring full flow. Roots enter sewer lines through small gaps at pipe joints and cracks, drawn by the water, nutrients and warmth inside. Once inside, they grow into a mat of fine hairs that catches toilet paper and waste. Over months the mat thickens into a solid plug, and your main line stops draining. Left alone, roots can widen joints, crack pipe and eventually break a line.

Fullerton Plumbing and Drain Cleaning removes sewer roots with a sectional cable machine fitted with root saw blades sized to the pipe, followed by hydro jetting when the line needs a full cleaning of the remaining root hairs. Then we run a sewer camera so you can see the cleaned pipe and the joints where roots are entering. That last step matters, because root removal clears the line but does not seal the joints. Knowing how many entry points you have and how bad they are tells you whether a maintenance schedule or a repair makes more sense.

We handle tree root removal for sewer lines at rowhomes, twins, singles and commercial buildings across Philadelphia and Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties. Roots often cause sudden backups, so we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including nights, weekends and holidays. You get an upfront quote before any work starts, a live camera view of your pipe, and a clean work area when we finish. We will never recommend digging up a line without showing you why on screen.

Why Tree Roots Clog Philadelphia Sewer Lines

Philadelphia's older neighborhoods are full of street trees planted in the strip between the sidewalk and the curb, right on top of the sewer laterals that run from each house to the city main. In South Philly, West Philly, Germantown, Fishtown and Point Breeze, many of those laterals are original terra cotta clay pipe laid in short sections with mortar or packed joints. After decades of freeze and thaw, settling and traffic, those joints open just enough for a root hair to slip in. Once a root reaches water and nutrients inside the pipe, it grows fast. That is why root clogs in Philadelphia often start under the sidewalk, right where the tree pit and the lateral cross.

In Philadelphia the property owner is generally responsible for the lateral out to the city main, so roots in that section are the homeowner's to clear, even when the tree is on the sidewalk. Old cast iron laterals get roots too, at their joints and through corrosion holes. In the suburbs, mature trees on the Main Line in Ardmore, Bryn Mawr and Wayne, and in Delaware County towns like Drexel Hill, Lansdowne and Havertown, send roots into clay and cast iron lines the same way. Roots tend to grow most in spring and summer, which is when many root clogs show up.

What Affects the Cost of Tree Root Removal

The cost of sewer root removal depends on how heavy the root mass is, how many root zones there are, how far out they sit and how easy the cleanout is to reach. A small root plug near the house trap is a smaller job than a lateral packed with roots from the house to the street. Adding hydro jetting, a camera inspection and locating, or working nights and weekends all change the scope. Repair or replacement, if needed, is quoted separately. We give you an upfront quote before any work starts.